The London Museum, previously known as the Museum of London, has revealed the winning design team for its Deep Time gallery, which will be located in the basement of its new £437 million headquarters at West Smithfield.
The competition was awarded to the emerging design practice IDK, which will collaborate with graphic designer Studio Bergini, lighting designer ZNA, structural engineer Structure Workshop, and MEP engineers P3R. The team secured the estimated £300,000 contract, surpassing proposals from several competitors, including CAN, Mitre & Mondays, SOUP; Casson Mann; David Kohn Architects; JA Projects; and Studio MUTT with Motive.
Project Overview and Responsibilities
This appointment follows IDK’s recent completion of the David Bowie Centre at the V&A East Storehouse, located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The IDK-led team is tasked with developing a significant basement gallery and collections storage area beneath the Poultry Market, designed by TP Bennett and Ove Arup in 1963, adjacent to the historic General Market building from 1883.
IDK will oversee various aspects of the project, including 3D exhibition design, 2D graphic design, and contributions to audio-visual components. The team will coordinate with a broader group of consultants to create a versatile and highly interactive environment that will function as both a central exhibition space and the main collections storage for the museum.
Future Developments and Timeline
The museum’s new facility has been designed by Stanton Williams and Asif Khan, in collaboration with conservation specialist Julian Harrap, following their victory in a design competition held in 2016. The museum is anticipated to open its doors by the end of this year, although the later phases of the redevelopment are projected to be completed by 2028.
In 2019, the German firm Atelier Brückner was selected to design the museum’s initial fit-out for a subterranean Past Time exhibition. Additionally, last year, the museum initiated a search for a team to develop a striking exhibition in a 700m² section of the General Market’s basement, referred to as The Vaults.
Bildquelle: Siegfried Poepperl auf Pexels
